In case you haven't heard of it, Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is an upcoming Infinity Engine-like fantasy RPG by an international team of indie developers who call themselves GrapeOcean Technologies. For the past three years, it's been amusing us with its obviously amateur writing, bizarre fantasy terminology, clueless "evangelists", and a constantly delayed Kickstarter campaign. Not to mention that title, ahem ahem. And yet, GrapeOcean are clearly more than just a bunch of kids with a website. They've released two gameplayvideos revealing a functional and fairly attractive game, albeit one that's hilariously derivative of Pillars of Eternity. And they've tried to go beyond the typical high fantasy setup by centering Black Geyser around the thematic element of greed, depicted as a divine curse that affects the entire world and is impacted by the player's actions, similar to Chaos in the Dishonored series. Which also sounds like it could be pretty annoying, but hey.

Back in 2016, I promised that if GrapeOcean ever launched their Kickstarter campaign for Black Geyser, I would write a newspost about it. And what do you know, yesterday the absolute madmen actually did it. Here's the pitch video, which after a short introductory cutscene reveals a few of the faces behind this unlikely project.

Inspired by Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale and other classics, Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is an isometric, party-based, single-player RPG set in the new fantasy world of Yerengal. The story focuses on Isilmerald, the largest, most racially diverse kingdom in Yerengal ruled by a human lineage. The game is coming to Windows, Mac and Linux on Steam and GoG. Key features include:

Greed. It's spreading all the time in the kingdom, directly affecting gameplay. You can slow this process with your actions—or speed it up if you prefer.

Party of up to 5 characters. You start with a single protagonist. Additional NPCs join you later if you choose to accept them. Every NPC boasts a rich, complex personality and past.

Choose from severalraces, classes and skills during character generation.

GrapeOcean are looking to raise €50,000 to complete the development of Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness. If you'd like to be infested by greed too, you can secure a copy for just €16, with beta access available at €85. Maybe if we reach a stretch goal we can get them to bring back the Crushmaster.